Watch with slot antenna configuration

ABSTRACT

A wrist-worn electronic device includes a side wall formed of electrically nonconductive material, a printed circuit board, a location determining element, a bezel, and a first antenna. The location determining element is configured to receive a first electronic signal and determine a current geolocation of the electronic device. The bezel is formed of electrically conductive material, positioned above the nonconductive side wall, such that a nonconductive slot is formed between the bezel, a perimeter of the printed circuit board, and electrical connections to two of the electrical ground terminals on the printed circuit board. The first antenna is formed at least partially by an upper portion corresponding to a circumference of the bezel between the two electrical ground terminal and configured to wirelessly receive the first electronic signal and communicate the first electronic signal to the location determining element.

BACKGROUND

Wrist-worn electronic devices often include functionality that may beused to track a user's current location, distance traveled, velocity,and other performance metrics or data. This functionality may beprovided by wirelessly receiving positional information from asatellite-based positioning system such as the global positioning system(GPS). In addition, such devices may communicate wirelessly with otherelectronic devices, systems, or networks using communication protocolssuch as Bluetooth™, Wi-Fi™, or cellular signals. One or more antennasmay be included in the electronic devices to wirelessly receive signalsfrom GPS satellites and provide wireless communication with otherelectronic devices, systems, or networks.

The bezel of some conventional wrist-worn electronic devices maypartially form an antenna that wirelessly transmits or receiveselectronic signals. This principle has been used heretofore inwrist-worn electronic devices, such as watches, having a housing, bezel,and an antenna configured to transmit and receive signals communicationsystems or devices (e.g., Bluetooth™, Wi-Fi™, ANT™, etc.) and/or receivelocation signals from a satellite-based positioning system (e.g., GPS),where the antenna is integrated with at least a portion of the bezel andcoupled with a conductive component at least partially positioned in aninternal cavity of the housing. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,172,148,the antenna may be capacitively coupled with the conductive componentpositioned in the internal cavity of the housing. As disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 9,257,740, the antenna may be electrically connected to asecond antenna at least partially enclosed within the internal cavity ofthe housing.

The antenna or a portion thereof may include an inverted-Fconfiguration, which typically includes an upper arm (radiating leg), asignal feed connection to the upper arm from a ground plane, and ashorting pin connection to the upper arm electrically grounding theupper arm at the location of the shorting pin connection. The twoconnections to the upper arm (for the signal feed and the shorting pin)results in a configuration having an open end opposite the location ofthe shorting pin connection. The length of an inverted-F antenna istypically measured using the length of the upper arm from the open endto the opposite end of the upper arm, which is typically the location ofthe shorting pin connection. The length of the upper arm is commonlyone-fourth (one-quarter) of a wavelength of an electrical signaltransmitted or received by the inverted-F antenna. The signal feedconnection to the upper arm is typically closer to the shorting pinconnection than the open end of the inverted-F antenna. However, thelocation of the signal feed connection may be switched with the locationof the shorting pin connection, such that the open end is opposite thelocation of the signal feed connection.

Some conventional wrist-worn electronic devices may include a housingand a slot antenna to transmit and receive communication signals orreceive locations. However, the slot antenna is located entirely withinthe electronic device housing. For instance, the slot may be formedusing a plastic carrier or a plurality of vertical supports positionedon the printed circuit board. Other antenna configurations utilize aslot formed from or within an opening defined by a ground plane and abezel. Specifically, the ground plane may have a slot (opening) and oneor more antenna resonating elements may be formed above the slot toincrease the distance between the resonating elements and the groundplane. If a printed circuit board of a device forms at least a portionof a ground plane of an antenna, the slot may be formed within theprinted circuit such that it may be visible from a top view of thedevice.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present technology provide a wrist-worn electronicdevice configured to accommodate an antenna formed by a portion of abezel having electrical connections to an electronic signal terminal andtwo electrical ground terminals. The electronic device may utilize anelectrically conductive bezel, a printed circuit board providing aground plane, and electrical connections to two electrical groundterminals to form a nonconductive slot. The antenna may be electricallycoupled with a location determining component or a communication elementto transmit or receive electronic signals to determine a currentgeographic location or allow wireless communication with otherelectronic devices.

The electronic device may broadly comprise a housing, a display, aprinted circuit board, a location determining element, a bezel, and afirst antenna. The housing may include a lower surface configured tocontact a wearer's wrist, a side wall formed of electricallynonconductive material and an opposing upper surface, that together forman internal cavity. The display may be positioned adjacent to the uppersurface of the housing. The printed circuit board may be positioned inthe internal cavity and may include a plurality of electrical groundterminals and a first electronic signal terminal. The locationdetermining element may be positioned on the printed circuit board andconfigured to receive a first electronic signal and determine a currentgeolocation of the electronic device using the first electronic signal.

The bezel may be formed of electrically conductive material and may bepositioned above the nonconductive side wall along a perimeter of thedisplay and printed circuit board such that the bezel and the printedcircuit board are separated by the nonconductive side wall. The bezelmay be electrically connected to two of the electrical ground terminalsand a first electronic signal terminal. The bezel, nonconductive sidewall, and electrical connections to the two of the electrical groundterminals may be positioned such that a nonconductive slot is formedbetween the bezel, a perimeter of the printed circuit board, and theelectrical connections to the two of the electrical ground terminals.The first antenna may be formed at least partially by a first portion ofa circumference of the bezel between the two of the electrical groundterminals. The first antenna may be configured to wirelessly receive afirst electronic signal and communicate the first electronic signal tothe location determining element.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the detaileddescription. This summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other aspectsand advantages of the present technology will be apparent from thefollowing detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanyingdrawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

Embodiments of the present technology are described in detail below withreference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an environmental view of a wrist-worn electronic deviceincorporating an improved antenna configuration, constructed inaccordance with embodiments of the present technology, depicting aplurality of other devices or systems with which the electronic devicemay communicate;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are exploded perspective views, from opposing sides, ofthe electronic device of FIG. 1, illustrating a lens, a display, and abezel removed from a housing, the housing including additionalcomponents which, along with the bezel, form an antenna;

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram illustrating electronically coupledfunctional components of the electronic device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of a portion of the electronic deviceof FIG. 1 illustrating the bezel, a printed circuit board, and aplurality of spring contacts, portions of which form first and secondantennas;

FIG. 6A is a top perspective view of a portion of the electronic deviceof FIG. 1 illustrating the printed circuit board and a plurality ofspring contacts, portions of which form first and second antennas,without a portion of the bezel obstructing said components in FIG. 5;

FIG. 6B is a top perspective view of a portion of the electronic deviceof FIG. 1 illustrating the printed circuit board and a plurality ofspring contacts, portions of which form first and second antennas,without the bezel obstructing said components in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side cross sectional view of an illustrative slot antenna inaccordance with embodiments of the current technology;

FIG. 8 is a vertical side sectional view cut along the line 7-7 fromFIG. 5 illustrating the electrical connection between a tab of thebezel, one spring contact, and a terminal of the printed circuit board;

FIG. 9 is an illustrative antenna performance graph for an antenna inaccordance with embodiments of the current technology in whichstanding-wave-ratio (SWR) values are plotted as a function of operatingfrequency;

FIG. 10a is a schematic drawing illustrating how the first antennaoccupies a portion of the bezel in accordance with an embodiment of thecurrent technology;

FIG. 10b is a schematic drawing illustrating how the first and secondantennas each occupy a portion of the bezel in accordance with anembodiment of the current technology;

FIG. 10c is a schematic drawing illustrating how the first and secondantennas each occupy a portion of the bezel in accordance with anembodiment of the current technology;

FIG. 10d is a schematic drawing illustrating how the first and secondantennas each occupy a portion of the bezel in accordance with anembodiment of the current technology;

FIG. 10e is a schematic drawing illustrating how the first and secondantennas each occupy a portion of the bezel in accordance with anembodiment of the current technology;

FIG. 10f is a schematic drawing illustrating how the first and secondantennas each occupy a portion of the bezel in accordance with anembodiment of the current technology; and

FIG. 10g is a schematic drawing illustrating how the first and secondantennas each occupy a portion of the bezel in accordance with anembodiment of the current technology.

The drawing figures do not limit the present technology to the specificembodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearlyillustrating the principles of the technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of the technology references theaccompanying drawings that illustrate specific embodiments in which thetechnology can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describeaspects of the technology in sufficient detail to enable those skilledin the art to practice the technology. Other embodiments can be utilizedand changes can be made without departing from the scope of the presenttechnology. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to betaken in a limiting sense. The scope of the present technology isdefined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope ofequivalents to which such claims are entitled.

In this description, references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or“embodiments” mean that the feature or features being referred to areincluded in at least one embodiment of the technology. Separatereferences to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “embodiments” inthis description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and arealso not mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will bereadily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. Forexample, a feature, structure, act, etc. described in one embodiment mayalso be included in other embodiments, but is not necessarily included.Thus, the present technology can include a variety of combinationsand/or integrations of the embodiments described herein.

Embodiments of the present technology provide an electronic device thatcan be worn on a user's wrist and that includes an improved antennadesign. The electronic device may be a watch, a wrist-worn smart phone,a wrist-worn navigation device, or other wearable multi-functionelectronic devices that include a housing and a wrist band, strap, orother attachment mechanism to secure the electronic device to a user'swrist. The electronic device may include a housing including a lowersurface configured to contact a user's wrist, a side wall, an opposingupper surface, that together form an internal cavity. Although theelectronic device is typically worn on a wrist, it may also be worn onother parts of the body such as the forearm or the upper arm. The userwearing the electronic device may be involved in activities such asstreet running, trail running, jogging, hiking, walking, biking,swimming, exercising, etc. During these activities, the electronicdevice may monitor the user's current location, distance traveled,velocity, and other performance metrics by receiving wireless locationsignals from a satellite-based positioning system such as the globalpositioning system (GPS). In addition, the electronic device may bewirelessly paired with other devices such as a heart rate monitor wornaround the user's chest, a foot pod attached to the user's shoe formeasuring jogging or running cadence and distance, a bike speed andcadence sensor attached to a crank arm and wheel hub of the user'sbicycle for tracking biking performance, and so forth. Furthermore, theelectronic device may be able to communicate with smartphones, tablets,laptop or desktop computers, Wi-Fi routers, cell towers, and the like toallow the user to upload activity data, download apps, receive textmessages, emails, and weather alerts, and so on.

Embodiments of the electronic device may include a printed circuitboard, a bezel, and a first antenna. The printed circuit board mayretain electronic components which process electronic signals and mayinclude a plurality of electronic signal terminals operable to provide asignal feed and a plurality of electrical ground terminals operable toprovide electrical ground.

The printed circuit board may provide a ground plane for one or moreantennas, including the first antenna. A perimeter of the printedcircuit board may be positioned adjacent to a side wall of the housing.The circuit board may be positioned within the internal cavity enclosedby a circular lower surface. The circuit board may be substantiallycircular, rectangular, or square in shape. In embodiments, the circuitboard may have an irregular shaped such that it is partially circularand partially rectangular. The partially circular portion of the circuitboard may include a plurality of electrical ground terminals and a firstelectronic signal terminal and may be positioned such that the perimeterof the circular portion is positioned adjacent to a side wall of thehousing.

The bezel may be electrically connected to two of the electrical groundterminals and the electronic signal terminals operable to provide asignal feed (F). The bezel may be formed from electrically conductivematerial and any surface of the bezel may be electrically coupled withan electrically conductive spring contact. In embodiments, eachelectrical connection may be provided by a combination of anelectrically conductive tab extending from a surface of the bezel, anelectrically conductive spring contact, and an electrical terminal onthe printed circuit board. In other embodiments, a conductive wire mayprovide the electrical connection between the bezel and an electricalterminal on the printed circuit board. The housing may be shaped suchthat the electronic device has a circular face (e.g., a circular watchface) and the bezel may be annular in shape.

The side wall of the housing may be formed of an electricallynonconductive material, such as ceramic, plastic, or combinationsthereof. The side wall may be a single, continuous side wall or aplurality of side walls that form an internal cavity when combined witha lower surface that contacts a wearer's wrist and an opposing uppersurface. In embodiments, the side wall may include one or more openingsfor depressible buttons. The side wall provides structural supportbetween the upper and lower surfaces of the housing. In embodiments, theside wall may be formed of two or more layers, each having anon-conductivity characteristic common to or varying in comparison toother layer(s). For example, the side wall may have a nonconductiveupper layer that is formed by a different material than a nonconductivelower layer.

A nonconductive slot may be formed by a portion of a nonconductive sidewall, an air gap, or a combination thereof, bound by an upper portion, alower portion and side portions. In embodiments, the nonconductive slotmay be formed by positioning the bezel, a perimeter of the printedcircuit board, and electrical connections to the two of the electricalground terminals to enclose an area that is not electrically conductive.For instance, the nonconductive slot may be formed by a portion of anonconductive side wall located between the bezel, a perimeter of theprinted circuit board, and the electrical connections to the two of theelectrical ground terminals. In some embodiments, a width of the bezelmay exceed a width of the side wall such that an air gap exists under aportion of the bezel extending over the side wall in the internal cavitybetween the bezel, a perimeter of the printed circuit board, and theelectrical connections to the two of the electrical ground terminals.Thus, a first portion of a circumference of an electrically conductivebezel may form an upper portion of a first antenna utilizing aslot-antenna configuration.

Unlike an inverted-F antenna configuration, which typically has an upperarm (radiating leg) electrically connected to one ground (G) connectionpoint (shorting pin) electrically grounding the upper arm and one signalfeed (F) connection point from a ground plane used to transmit orreceive an electronic signal, the slot-antenna configuration has twoground (G) connection points and one feed (F) connection point. Theinverted-F antenna configuration has an open end opposite the locationof the ground (G) connection point (the signal feed (F) connection istypically between the open end and the ground (G) connection point). Thenonconductive slot formed by positioning a conductive bezel, a perimeterof the printed circuit board, and electrical connections to the two ofthe electrical ground terminals, as disclosed herein, encloses an areathat is not electrically conductive by four sides and, thus, lacks anopen end that is characteristic of conventional inverted-F antennas.

The length of the first portion of the circumference of the bezelassociated with the first antenna may be one-half of a wavelength of thefirst electronic signal as a result of the slot-antenna configurationachieved by utilizing techniques disclosed herein. The length of aninverted-F antenna is typically a quarter of a wavelength of anelectrical signal transmitted or received using the inverted-F antenna,so an inverted-F antenna configuration results in an antenna length thatmay be one-half the length of a slot-antenna configuration. The lengthof an inverted-F antenna is typically measured using the length of theupper arm from an open end to an opposite end of the upper arm, which istypically the location of the shorting pin connection.

The first antenna is at least partially formed by a first portion of theconductive bezel. In embodiments where two ground (G) connection pointsprovide outer connections (top corners of the nonconductive slot) andthe signal feed (F) connection is between two ground (G) connectionpoints, the first portion of the conductive bezel between the electricalconnections to the electrical ground (G) terminals may form the firstportion of the circumference of the bezel associated with the firstantenna. In embodiments where the signal feed (F) connection and a firstground (G) connection point provide outer connections (top corners ofthe nonconductive slot) and a second ground (G) connection point isbetween the signal feed (F) connection and the first ground (G)connection point, the first portion of the conductive bezel between thesignal feed (F) connection and the first ground (G) connection point mayform the first portion of the circumference of the bezel associated withthe first antenna.

In embodiments, the first antenna may be further formed by theelectrical connections to the electrical ground terminals and theelectrical terminals (first electronic signal terminal and the first andsecond electrical ground terminals) on the printed circuit board. Insome embodiments, the top portion of the nonconductive slot may beformed by the first portion of the conductive bezel on top, the lowerportion of the nonconductive slot may be formed by the perimeter of theprinted circuit board, which may provide a ground plane for the firstantenna, and the sides of the nonconductive slot may be formed by theelectrical connections to two electrical ground terminals on the printedcircuit board. In other embodiments, the top portion of thenonconductive slot may be formed by the first portion of the conductivebezel on top, the lower portion of the nonconductive slot may be formedby the perimeter of the printed circuit board, which may provide aground plane for the first antenna, and a first side of thenonconductive slot may be formed by the electrical connection to oneelectrical ground terminal on the printed circuit board and a secondside of the nonconductive slot may be formed by the electricalconnection to the first electronic signal terminal on the printedcircuit board.

The first antenna may be configured to wirelessly receive a firstelectronic signal, such as a GPS signal, and communicate the receivedfirst electronic signal to components positioned in the internal cavity,such as the location determining component. The location determiningcomponent may process the received first electronic signal to determinea geolocation of the electronic device.

The electronic device may include a second antenna configured to utilizethe slot-antenna configuration in some embodiments. The second antennamay be configured to transmit and receive a second wireless signal, suchas Bluetooth™, Wi-Fi, cellular, etc., and may wirelessly transmit andreceive a corresponding second electronic signal. The second antenna maybe formed from a second electronic signal terminal, third and fourthelectrical ground terminals, and a second portion of the circumferenceof the bezel. The length of the second portion of the circumference ofthe bezel associated with the second antenna may be based on awavelength or frequency (wavelength=c (speed of light)/frequency) of thesecond electronic signal, which may have a different wavelength (orfrequency) in comparison to the first electronic signal. For example,the length of the second portion of the circumference of the bezelassociated with the second antenna may be one-half (or one-fourth) of awavelength of the second electronic signal, which may have a frequencythat is twice (double) the frequency of the first electronic signal.

In embodiments, the first antenna and the second antenna may share oneor more electrical ground terminals on the printed circuit board. Forexample, one of the two electrical ground terminals associated with thefirst antenna may be electrically connected to the second antenna suchthat the electrical ground terminal is also associated with the secondantenna.

In embodiments, the first portion of the circumference of the bezel atleast partially forming the first antenna may partially overlap with thesecond portion of the circumference of the bezel at least partiallyforming the second antenna. For example, as shown in FIGS. 10b and 10c ,the first portion of the circumference of the bezel may overlap with thesecond portion of the circumference of the bezel in the portion betweenthe feed (F) and one of the ground (G) connection points on thecircumference of the bezel.

Embodiments of the technology will now be described in more detail withreference to the drawing figures. Referring initially to FIGS. 1-4, anexemplary wrist-worn electronic device 10 is illustrated. The electronicdevice 10 broadly comprises a housing 12, a display 14, a user interface16, a location determining element 18, a communication element 20, amemory element 22, a processing element 24, a printed circuit board 26,a bezel 28, a first antenna 30 and a second antenna 32. The electronicdevice 10 may also include a wrist band 36, a strap, or other attachmentmechanisms.

The housing 12 generally houses or retains other components of theelectronic device 10 and may include or be coupled to the wrist band 36.The housing 12 may include a lower wall 38, an upper surface 40, atleast one side wall 42, and an internal cavity 44. The lower wall 38 mayinclude a lower, outer surface that contacts the user's wrist while theuser is wearing the electronic device 10. The upper surface 40 opposesthe lower wall 38 and may include an upper surface. Display 14 may forma portion of upper surface 40. In various embodiments, the upper surface40 may further include an opening that extends from the upper surface tothe internal cavity 44. Side wall 42 may be formed of an electricallynonconductive material, such as ceramic, plastic, or combinationsthereof. Side wall 42 may be a single, continuous side wall or aplurality of side walls that form internal cavity 44 when combined witha lower wall 38 that contacts a wearer's wrist and an opposing uppersurface 40. In some embodiments, such as the exemplary embodiments shownin the figures, the lower wall 38 of the housing 12 may have a round,circular, or oval shape, with a single circumferential side wall 42. Inother embodiments, the lower wall 38 may have a four-sided shape, suchas a square or rectangle, or other polygonal shape, with the housing 12including four or more sidewalls 42.

Side wall 42 may include one or more openings for user interface 16(e.g., depressible buttons, rotating knobs, etc.). Side wall 42 providesstructural support between upper surface 40 and lower wall 38. Inembodiments, one or more conductive elements be positioned adjacent to aportion of side wall 42.

In embodiments, side wall 42 may be formed of two or more layers, eachhaving a non-conductivity characteristic common to or varying incomparison to other layer(s) of side wall 42. For example, side wall 42may have a nonconductive upper layer that is formed by a differentmaterial than a nonconductive lower layer of side wall 42.

The internal cavity 44 may retain components such as, but not limitedto, the location determining element 18, the communication element 20,the processing element 24, the memory element 22, and the printedcircuit board 26. Internal cavity 44 may also retain a plurality ofelectrical terminals 48 on the printed circuit board 26, a plurality oftabs 50 a-50 c and a plurality of spring contacts 52 a-52 c.

The display 14 generally presents the information mentioned above, suchas time of day, current location, and the like. The display 14 may beimplemented in one of the following technologies: light-emitting diode(LED), organic LED (OLED), Light Emitting Polymer (LEP) or Polymer LED(PLED), liquid crystal display (LCD), thin film transistor (TFT) LCD,Memory-in-Pixel (MIP) LCD, LED side-lit or back-lit LCD, or the like, orcombinations thereof. In some embodiments, the display 14 may have around, circular, or oval shape. In other embodiments, the display 14 maypossess a square or a rectangular aspect ratio which may be viewed ineither a landscape or a portrait orientation.

In exemplary embodiments seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, which are opposing viewsof electronic device 10, the display 14 may be at least partiallypositioned in the internal cavity 44 of the housing 12, such that thedisplay 14 is adjacent to the opening of the upper surface 40 of thehousing 12. The electronic device 10 may further include a lens 46 thatis positioned on an upper surface of the display 14 to enhance thevisibility of the information shown on the display 14.

The user interface 16 generally allows the user to directly interactwith the electronic device 10 and may include pushbuttons, rotatingknobs, or the like. In exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 2-4, the housing12 may include one or more pushbuttons located on the sidewalls 42thereof that function as at least a portion of the user interface 16. Invarious embodiments, the display 14 may also include a touch screenoccupying the entire display 14 or a portion thereof so that display 14functions as at least a portion of the user interface 16. The touchscreen may allow a user to interact with the electronic device 10 byphysically touching, swiping, or gesturing on areas of the display 14.

The location determining element 18 generally determines a currentgeolocation of the electronic device 10 and may process a firstelectronic signal, such as radio frequency (RF) electronic signals, froma global navigation satellite system (GNSS) such as the globalpositioning system (GPS) primarily used in the United States, theGLONASS system primarily used in the Soviet Union, or the Galileo systemprimarily used in Europe. The location determining element 18 mayinclude satellite navigation receivers, processors, controllers, othercomputing devices, or combinations thereof, and memory. The locationdetermining element 18 may be in electronic communication with the firstantenna 30, although, in some embodiments, the location determiningelement 18 may be in electronic communication with the second antenna32. The first antenna 30 (or the second antenna 32) may wirelesslyreceive a first electronic signal from one or more of thepreviously-mentioned satellite systems and provide the first electronicsignal to location determining component 18. The location determiningelement 18 may process the first electronic signal, which includes dataand information, from which geographic information such as the currentgeolocation is determined. The current geolocation may includegeographic coordinates, such as the latitude and longitude, of thecurrent geographic location of electronic device 10. The locationdetermining element 18 may communicate the current geolocation toprocessing element 24.

Although embodiments of the location determining element 18 may includea satellite navigation receiver, it will be appreciated that otherlocation-determining technology may be used. For example, cellulartowers or any customized transmitting radio frequency towers can be usedinstead of satellites may be used to determine the location of theelectronic device 10 by receiving data from at least three transmittinglocations and then performing basic triangulation calculations todetermine the relative position of the device with respect to thetransmitting locations. With such a configuration, any standardgeometric triangulation algorithm can be used to determine the locationof the electronic device. The location determining element 18 may alsoinclude or be coupled with a pedometer, accelerometer, compass, or otherdead-reckoning components which allow it to determine the location ofthe electronic device 10. The location determining element 18 maydetermine the current geographic location through a communicationsnetwork, such as by using Assisted GPS (A-GPS), or from anotherelectronic device. The location determining element 18 may even receivelocation data directly from a user. In these alternative embodiments,the location determining element 18 may also be in electroniccommunication with the first antenna 30.

The communication element 20 generally enables communication betweenelectronic device 10 and external systems or devices, other than GPSsystems. The communication element 20 may include signal or datatransmitting and receiving circuits, such as amplifiers, filters,mixers, oscillators, digital signal processors (DSPs), and the like.Various combinations of these circuits may form a transceiver, whichtransmits, receives, and processes signals such as the ones listed inthe following discussion. The communication element 20 may establishcommunication wirelessly by utilizing radio frequency (RF) signalsand/or data that comply with communication standards such as cellular2G, 3G, or 4G, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)802.11 standard such as Wi-Fi, IEEE 802.16 standard such as WiMAX,Bluetooth™, or combinations thereof. In addition, the communicationelement 20 may utilize communication standards such as ANT, ANT+,Bluetooth™ low energy (BLE), the industrial, scientific, and medical(ISM) band at 2.4 gigahertz (GHz), or the like. The communicationelement 20 may be in communication with the processing element 24 andthe memory element 22. In various embodiments, the electronic device 10may be configured to establish communication with more than one protocolor standard, and the communication element 20 may include a transceiverfor each protocol or standard, such as Bluetooth™, Wi-Fi, cellular,etc., with which the device 10 can communicate. Thus, the communicationelement 20 may be in electronic communication with the second antenna32. The antennas 32 may wirelessly transmit and receive electronicsignals to and from exercise-related sensors, such as a heart ratemonitor, a foot pod, a bike speed and cadence sensor, or the like, otherelectronic devices, such as a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, or adesktop computer, or communication network interfaces such as a Wi-Firouter or a cell tower. The antennas 32 may also wirelessly transmit andreceive electronic signals, derived from the electronic signals, to andfrom the communication element 20.

The memory element 22 may include data storage components such asread-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM, erasable programmable ROM,random-access memory (RAM), or the like, or combinations thereof. Thememory element 22 may include, or may constitute, a “computer-readablemedium”. The memory element 22 may store the instructions, code, codesegments, software, firmware, programs, applications, apps, services,daemons, or the like that are executed by the processing element 24. Insome embodiments, the memory element 22 may be embedded in, or packagedin the same package as, the processing element 24. The memory element 22may also store data such as map, track, or route data, settings,documents, sound files, photographs, movies, images, databases, or thelike.

The processing element 24 may include electronic hardware componentssuch as processors, microprocessors (single-core or multi-core),microcontrollers, DSPs, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), analogand/or digital application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or thelike, or combinations thereof. The processing element 24 may generallyexecute, process, or run instructions, code, code segments, software,firmware, programs, applications, apps, processes, services, daemons, orthe like. The processing element 24 may also include hardware componentssuch as finite-state machines, sequential and combinational logic, andother electronic circuits that can perform the functions necessary forthe operation of the current invention. The processing element 24 may bein communication with the other electronic components through serial orparallel links that include universal busses, address busses, databusses, control lines, and the like.

The printed circuit board 26, as seen in FIGS. 2-3, 5-6 and 7, generallyprovides a substrate for supplying electric power to, and electroniccommunication between, the electronic components in internal cavity 44,such as the location determining element 18, the communication element20, the memory element 22, and the processing element 24. The printedcircuit board 26 may be of generally known construction with a first, ortop, side and an opposing second, or bottom, side. The printed circuitboard 26 may also include multiple electrically conductive layers with atop conductive layer placed on the first side, a bottom conductive layerplaced on the second side, one or more inner conductive layerspositioned between the first and second sides, and an insulating layerbetween each pair of adjacent conductive layers. The insulating layersmay be formed from rigidized material that includes various combinationsof fiberglass, woven glass, matte glass, cotton paper, phenolic cottonpaper, polyester, epoxies, epoxy resins, and the like. Each conductivelayer may include one or more conductive electronic signal or electricalpower or ground traces, one or more signal, power, or ground pads, fullor partial power planes, or full or partial ground planes. Theconductive layers may be formed from metals typically including copper,but also including nickel, aluminum, gold, silver, palladium, zinc, tin,lead, and the like. In addition, the printed circuit board 26 mayinclude plated through hole vias, blind vias, buried vias, and the like.The electronic components may be implemented in packages which aremounted on the top side, the bottom side, or both sides. The electroniccomponents may communicate with one another through electronic signaltraces.

Furthermore, the printed circuit board 26 may include a plurality ofelectrical terminals 48 formed from electrically conductive materialdeposited on printed circuit board 26, such as positions along aperimeter of printed circuit board 26. Each terminal 48 may include astrip of conductive material, with space between other terminals 48. Insome embodiments, the terminals 48 may alternatively or additionally bepositioned on one or more surfaces, such as the first side of printedcircuit board 26. The terminals 48 may include a plurality of electronicsignal terminals, each of which is electrically connected to oneelectronic signal trace, and a plurality of electric ground terminals,each of which is electrically connected to electrical ground. Theprinted circuit board 26 may provide a ground plane for the firstantenna 30 and the second antenna 32.

Given that the printed circuit board 26 may be retained within internalcavity 44 of housing 12, the printed circuit board 26 may have anoutline shape and perimeter that is generally similar to the shape ofthe interior of the housing 12. In exemplary embodiments, the housing 12is generally circular, and thus, the outline shape of the printedcircuit board 26 may be circular, hexagonal or octagonal to approximatethe circular shape. Other outline shapes of the printed circuit board 26are possible including square, rectangular, or even circular. Inembodiments, printed circuit board 26 may have an irregular shaped suchthat it is partially circular and partially rectangular.

The bezel 28, as seen in FIGS. 2-3, 5-6 and 7, may be positioned on theupper surface 40 of housing 12 and may generally cover the perimeteredges of the display 14 or encircle display 14. The bezel 28 may be aring shaped to conform to the shapes of a circular or oval housing 12and display 14 such that bezel 28 may be positioned between theperimeters of housing 12 and display 14. The bezel 28 may have an outerperimeter, or outer circumference, that is substantially the same shapeas the upper surface 40 of housing 12 and an inner perimeter, or innercircumference, that is substantially the same shape as the outerperimeter of display 14. For example, the bezel 28 may have an inneredge with dimensions that are smaller than or approximately equal to theperimeter dimensions of the display 14 and an outer edge with dimensionsthat are approximately equal to the perimeter dimensions of the uppersurface of the housing 12. Thus, the bezel 28 may be circular, square,or rectangular with a central opening through which the display 14 maybe viewed. In the exemplary embodiments shown in the figures, bezel 28may have an annular shape. In various embodiments, the bezel 28 may bealigned with the lens 46 positioned atop the display 14.

The bezel 28 may be formed from any material that may integrate anelectrically conductive material, such as a metallic or semi-metallicmaterial, and may be positioned on or fixedly attached to one or morenonconductive side walls 42 of housing 12. In some embodiments, thebezel 28 may be able to rotate in place, roughly around the center ofthe upper surface of the housing 12. In other embodiments, the bezel 28may be fixedly attached to the upper surface and may not rotate. Inembodiments, the bezel 28 may be integral to housing 12. For example,conductive bezel 28 may be a raised or flush portion of housing 12 witha central opening through which display 14 may be viewed and positionedabove one or more nonconductive side walls 42.

As detailed herein, first antenna 30 may be configured as a slotantenna, which generally includes a nonconductive slot 34 formed by aportion of a nonconductive side wall 42, an air gap, or a combinationthereof. The nonconductive slot 34 may have any three-dimensional shapesuch as a substantially rectangle, a square, an oval, or a circle shapeformed in a portion of housing 12. The first antenna 30, as seen inFIGS. 2-3, 5, 6 a-6 b, and 8, is a slot antenna having a nonconductiveslot 34 in which the “slot” is formed or bound by an upper portion 30 a,a lower portion 30 b, and spring contacts 52A, 52C serving as sideportions 30 c, 30 d, respectively, of first antenna 30.

First antenna 30 generally converts wireless RF electromagneticradiation (an electronic signal) into a corresponding electronic signal.The nonconductive slot 34 through which the electric field of firstantenna 30 passes includes a portion of nonconductive side wall 42. Asignal transmitted using first antenna 30 having a nonconductive slot 34within a side wall 42 of housing 12 is output (electromagneticallyradiates) to the side of housing 12 in the far field (based onconstructive and destructive interference). Similarly, first antenna 30may receive a signal output from that direction in the far field or fromany other direction. FIGS. 2 and 3 depict components of electronicdevice 10 from opposing sides to illustrate the respective positions ofeach component, illustrating a lens, a display, and a bezel 28 removedfrom a housing 12. As shown in these Figures, a portion of bezel 28extending from tab 50A to tab 50C form an upper portion 30A of firstantenna 30. Tabs 50A-50C may contact and electrically couple with (forman electrical connection) spring contacts 52A-52C that are electricallycoupled with electrical terminals 48A-48C on the printed circuit board26.

FIGS. 5 and 6A, 6B depict components of electronic device 10 when bezel28 is positioned against the upper surface 40 of housing 12 such thattabs 50A-50C contact and electrically couple with (form an electricalconnection) spring contacts 52A-52C. In FIG. 6A, a portion of bezel 28forming an upper portion 30 a of first antenna 30 is presented and aremaining portion of bezel 28, which obstructs the view of printedcircuit board 26 and certain other components in FIG. 5, is removed toexpose printed circuit board 26 and certain components, such as tabs50A, 50C, spring contacts 52A, 52C, and electrical terminals 48A, 48C.In FIG. 6B, first antenna 30 is presented without bezel 28 obstructingthe view of printed circuit board 26 to expose printed circuit board 26,spring contacts 52A, 52C, and electrical terminals 48A, 48C.

In the depicted embodiment, spring contact 52A forms a side portion 30 cof first antenna 30 and sprint contact 52C forms a side portion 30 d offirst antenna 30. First antenna 30 is formed by a nonconductive slot 34within upper portion 30 a, lower portion 30 b, and side portions 30 c,30 d. Specifically, the nonconductive slot 34 is formed between thebezel 28, a perimeter of the printed circuit board 26, and theelectrical connections to two of the electrical ground terminals (springcontacts 52A and 52C). The nonconductive slot 34 may be formed within aside wall 42 of housing 12.

A side cross-sectional view of the illustrative first antenna 30 havinga nonconductive slot 34 having a width (W) and a height (H) is providedin FIG. 7. The nonconductive slot 34 is formed within upper portion 30a, lower portion 30 b, and side portions 30 c, 30 d. As discussed above,upper portion 30 a corresponds to a portion of bezel 28, lower portion30 b corresponds to a perimeter of printed circuit board 26, and sideportions 30 c, 30 d correspond to spring contacts 52A, 52C,respectively. In the depicted example, spring contact 52B mayelectrically couple with a first portion of a circumference of the bezel28 between first and third spring contacts 52A (G), 52C (G) and springcontact 52B may provide a signal feed (F) to first antenna 30.

FIG. 8 provides a cross-sectional view of a tab 50 (of bezel 28)contacting and electrically coupling with (forming an electricalconnection) a spring contact 52 that is electrically coupled with anelectrical terminal 48A on printed circuit board 26.

FIG. 9 is a graph illustrating antenna performance for first antenna 30when it is fed a signal in accordance with embodiments of the currenttechnology. The graph provides a plot of standing-wave-ratio (SWR)values as a function of operating frequency. As shown in FIG. 9, firstantenna 30 operates in a frequency band approximately centered about afrequency f1, which is determined by a combination of the width (W) andheight (H) of nonconductive slot 34. For example, in an embodiment, awidth (W) and height (H) of nonconductive slot 34 may be chosen suchthat the frequency f1 may be equal to one-half wavelength of anelectronic signal desired to be transmitted and/or received by firstantenna 30. First antenna may thus be tuned to transmit and/or receivedesired electronic signals by varying the dimensions of nonconductiveslot 34.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the first antenna 30 is inelectronic communication with the location determining element 18, suchthat it is configured to wirelessly receive a GPS signal from GPSsatellites. In other embodiments, the first antenna 30 may be configuredto wirelessly transmit and receive electronic signals from any of thesources discussed above and shown in FIG. 1, such as cell towers, Wi-Firouters, other electronic devices, etc.

In embodiments, the nonconductive slot 34 may be formed by a portion ofnonconductive side wall 42. For example, a nonconductive slot 34 may beformed by a portion of a nonconductive side wall 42 defined or enclosedby a portion of the conductive bezel 28 between a first spring contact52A and a third spring contact 52C (each providing an electricalconnection to an electrical ground terminal 48), a perimeter of theprinted circuit board 26 between the first and third spring contacts52A, 52C, and the first and third spring contacts 52A, 52C. A secondspring contact 52B may provide an electrical connection to an electricalsignal feed (F).

In other embodiments, the nonconductive slot 34 may be formed by acombination of an air gap and a portion of nonconductive side wall 42.For example, a width of bezel 28 may exceed a width of nonconductiveside wall 42 such that an air gap exists under a portion of bezel 28extending over side wall 42 in the internal cavity 44. Similar to theembodiment described above, the air gap may be defined or enclosed by aportion of the conductive bezel 28 between a first spring contact 52Aand a third spring contact 52C (each providing an electrical connectionto an electrical ground terminal 48), a perimeter of the printed circuitboard 26 between the first and third spring contacts 52A, 52C, and thefirst and third spring contacts 52A, 52C. A second spring contact 52Bmay provide an electrical connection to an electrical signal feed (F).Thus, the air gap may be located adjacent to the same portion of anonconductive side wall 42 defined or enclosed by a portion ofconductive bezel 28 between the first and third spring contacts 52A,52C, a perimeter of the printed circuit board 26 between the first andthird spring contacts 52A, 52C, and the first and third spring contacts52A, 52C. As a result, the nonconductive slot 34 through which theelectric field of first antenna 30 passes includes a portion ofnonconductive side wall 42 and an air gap.

In some embodiments, first antenna 30 may be formed by a combination ofelectronic signal terminal 48B (providing an electrical signal feed (F)connection) and ground terminals 48A, 48C (providing an electricalground (G) connection) on printed circuit board 26, a first portion of acircumference of the bezel 28 between first and third spring contacts52A (G), 52C (G) (corresponding to the locations of tabs 50A and 50C,respectively, when the bezel is positioned against the upper surface 40of housing 12), including the portion of bezel 28 at which second springcontact 52B (F) is connected, and a first portion of a circumference ofprinted circuit board 26 between the first and third spring contacts 52A(G), 52C (G). In this configuration, the edges of the nonconductive slot34 are the electrical ground (G) connection points to bezel 28 andprinted circuit board 26.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, first antenna 30 (a slot antenna) is formedby an upper portion 30 a, a lower portion 30 b, and side portions 30 c,30 d. Upper portion 30 a, lower portion 30 b, and side portions 30 c, 30d are all in electrical and physical contact such that a nonconductiveslot 34 is formed inside these portions of first antenna 30. Upperportion 30 a of first antenna 30 is formed by a first portion of acircumference of bezel 28 extending between first and third springcontacts 52A (G), 52C (G) (corresponding to the locations of tabs 50Aand 50C, respectively) when the bezel is positioned against the uppersurface 40 of housing 12. Lower portion 30 b of first antenna 30 isformed by a first portion of the circumference of the printed circuitboard 26 extending between first and third spring contacts 52A (G), 52C(G) such that lower portion 30 b corresponds to upper portion 30 a. Sideportions 30 c, 30 d of first antenna 30 are formed by spring contacts52A, 52C, respectively. Thus, first antenna 30 operates as a slotantenna because a nonconductive slot 34 is formed by the upper portion30 a (a first portion of the circumference of bezel 28), a lower portion30 b (a first portion of the circumference of printed circuit board 26)and two side portions 30 c, 30 d (spring contacts 52A and 52C).

In other embodiments, the first portion of a circumference of the bezel28 forming an upper portion 30 a of first antenna 30 may extend betweensecond spring contact 52B (F) and third spring contact 52C (G)(corresponding to the locations of tabs 50B and 50C, respectively, whenthe bezel is positioned against the upper surface 40 of housing 12),including the portion of bezel 28 at which first spring contact 52A (G)is connected. In this configuration, the edges of the nonconductive slot34 are one electrical ground (G) connection point and one electricalsignal feed (F) connection point to bezel 28 and printed circuit board26.

The electrically conductive plane of first antenna 30, which is a slotantenna, may be provided by the ground plane of the printed circuitboard 26 and the first portion of the bezel 28 forming an upper portion30 a of first antenna 30. The nonconductive slot 34 may be provided bythe nonconductive side wall 42 of housing 12 between portions of theprinted circuit board 26 and the bezel 28 between spring contacts 52.One of the electronic terminals, such as electronic signal terminal 48B,may provide the signal feed and two of the electronic terminals, such asground terminals 48A, 48C, may provide the electrical ground for thefirst antenna 30.

A length (circumferential distance) of the first portion of thecircumference of bezel 28 utilized for the upper portion 30 a of firstantenna 30 may be based on a wavelength—typically, a one-halfwavelength—of the wireless signal to be transmitted or received by firstantenna 30. Generally, the one-half wavelength of an electronic signal,e.g., a GPS signal, determines a length along the circumference of thebezel 28 forming an upper portion 30 a of first antenna 30 that must beutilized to transmit or receive the electronic signal using the firstantenna 30. It is to be understood that the length of upper portion 30 aof first antenna 30 that must be utilized to receive an electronicsignal may account for a larger portion of a bezel 28 having a smallercircumference than a bezel 28 having a larger circumference.

Electrical connections to bezel 28 for a first and a second electricalground (G) may be provided at first and second endpoints, respectively,of the first portion of the circumference of bezel 28 occupied by thefirst antenna 30. An electrical connection to bezel 28 for a signal feed(F) may be provided at a point along the first portion of thecircumference of the bezel 28 occupied by the upper portion 30 a offirst antenna 30 between the first and second endpoints associated withthe electrical ground (G). Typically, the signal feed (F) iselectrically connected to bezel 28 at a point away from a midpoint ofthe first portion of the circumference of the bezel 28 occupied by thefirst antenna 30 (i.e., the signal feed (F) connection point is closerto one of the two electrical ground (G) connection points).

As shown in FIGS. 2-3 and 5-6, bezel 28 may include a plurality of tabs50 that electrically couple with (form an electrical connection) aplurality of spring contacts 52 that are electrically coupled withelectrical terminals 48 on the printed circuit board 26. As seen inFIGS. 2-3 and 5-7, each tab 50 of bezel 28 may be formed fromelectrically conductive material, such as metal, and may have agenerally rectangular shape to contact a spring contact 52. Each tab 50may be attached to, or integrally or monolithically formed with, theinner circumference of the bezel 28, such that each tab 50 extendsnormal to the plane of the bezel 28. Thus, when bezel 28 is placed abovenonconductive side wall 42 during assembly of electronic device 10, eachtab 50 extends downward into the internal cavity 44 of housing 12.

Each spring contact 52, as seen in FIGS. 2-3 and 5-7, may be formed fromelectrically conductive material, such as metal, and may have agenerally elongated, flat shape. In addition, each spring contact 52 mayinclude a first leaf spring 54 and a second leaf spring 56. The firstleaf spring 54 may be positioned on a first half of the spring contact52 and may be configured to make electrical contact with oneelectrically conductive tab 50 of bezel 28. The second leaf spring 56may be positioned on a second half of the spring contact 52 and may beconfigured to make electrical contact with one electrical terminal 48 onthe printed circuit board 26. Each spring contact 52 may be retained onan inner surface of nonconductive side wall 42.

The electrical connection for the first antenna 30 from bezel 28 to theprinted circuit board 26 may include one tab 50 of bezel 28 contactingthe first leaf spring 54 of one spring contact 52, and the second leafspring 56 of the spring contact 52 electrically contacting one terminal48 on the printed circuit board 26. Other embodiments of the electronicdevice 10 may include other electrical connection structures between theconductive bezel 28 and terminals 48 on the printed circuit board 26,such as pogo pins, electrically conductive wires, electricallyconductive cables, flexible printed circuits, and so forth.

The second antenna 32 (also a slot antenna) may be substantially similarto the first antenna 30 in function and structure such that it mayutilize a slot antenna configuration having a nonconductive slot. Secondantenna 32 may utilize a portion of housing 12 not being utilized by orpartially overlapping with first antenna 30. Similar to first antenna30, the second antenna 30 may be configured as a slot antenna includinga nonconductive slot formed by a portion of a nonconductive side wall,an air gap, or a combination thereof. The nonconductive slot may haveany three-dimensional shape such as a substantially rectangle, a square,an oval, or a circle shape formed in a portion of housing 12. The secondantenna 32 is a slot antenna having a nonconductive slot in which the“slot” is formed or bound by an upper portion, a lower portion, and twospring contacts serving as side portions of second antenna 32. The upperportion of second antenna 32, the lower portion of second antenna 32,and the side portions of second antenna 32 are all in electrical andphysical contact such that a nonconductive slot is formed inside theseportions of second antenna 32.

The upper portion of second antenna 32 is formed by a second portion ofa circumference of bezel 28 extending in an area of bezel 28 that is notbeing utilized as upper portion 30 a of first antenna 30. For instance,if the upper portion 30 a of first antenna 30 extends from first springcontact 52A (G), through second spring contact 52B (F), to third springcontact 52C (G), the second portion of a circumference of bezel 28associated with the second antenna 32 may extend between first and thirdspring contacts 52A (G), 52C (G) such that it does not include secondcontact 52B (F) (i.e., the opposite portion of bezel 28).

The lower portion of second antenna 32 is formed by a second portion ofa circumference of the printed circuit board 26 extending between thespring contacts associated with the upper portion of second antenna 32such that the lower portion of second antenna 32 corresponds to upperportion of second antenna 32. Side portions of second antenna 32 areformed by spring contacts associated the upper and lower portions ofsecond antenna 32. The nonconductive slot for the second antenna 32 maybe provided by the nonconductive side wall 42 of housing 12 betweenportions of the printed circuit board 26 and the bezel 28 between twospring contacts associated the upper and lower portions of secondantenna 32.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the second antenna 32 is inelectronic communication with the communication element 20, such thatthe second antenna 32 may wirelessly transmit and receive electronicsignals to and from any of the signal sources shown in FIG. 1, exceptfor GPS satellites (assuming that the first antenna 30 is configured toreceive GPS signals). The second antenna 32 may be formed fromelectronic signal terminals 48 and electrical ground terminals 48 on theprinted circuit board 26 and an upper portion of second antenna 32 maybe formed by a second portion of the circumference of bezel 28. As withthe first antenna 30, the length of the second portion of the bezel 28circumference may be based on a half wavelength of the signal that thesecond antenna 32 is configured to transmit and receive. The secondelectronic signal may transmit and/or receive Bluetooth™, Wi-Fi, orcellular signals, among others, and the half wavelength of the secondelectronic signal may different than the half wavelength of the firstelectronic signal, which is transmitted or received by first antenna 30.

In some embodiments, second antenna 32 may share at least a portion ofthe same signal feed (F) and electrical ground (G) connection points onbezel 28 as first antenna 30. Thus, some of the second portion of thecircumference (occupied by the second antenna 32) may overlap some ofthe first portion of the circumference (occupied by the first antenna30). In other embodiments, second antenna 32 may have entirely differentsignal feed (F) and electrical ground (G) connection points on bezel 28than the signal feed (F) and electrical ground (G) connection pointsutilized for first antenna 30. Hence, the second portion of bezel 28circumference may be separate from the first portion of bezel 28circumference such that the first and second portions do not overlap, asshown in FIG. 10e . Furthermore, the electrical connections for thesecond antenna 32 from the bezel 28 to the printed circuit board 26 maybe formed in substantially the same manner as utilized for electricalconnections for the first antenna 30.

Various embodiments of the current technology depicting differentconfigurations of the first and second antennas 30, 32 sharing the bezel28 are shown in FIGS. 10a-10g , one embodiment or configuration perfigure. FIGS. 10a-10g depict only the upper portions of first and secondantennas 30, 32. It is to be understood that lower portions of first andsecond antennas 30, 32 along a perimeter of printed circuit board 26correspond to the positions of the upper portions of first and secondantennas 30, 32 depicted in FIGS. 10a-10g . The bezel 28 is shown as anannulus with the signal feed (F) and electrical ground (G) connectionpoints on the circumference of the bezel 28 for the first and secondantennas 30, 32, which are marked and labeled. In addition, the arcuateportion labeled “first antenna” indicates the first portion of thecircumference of the bezel 28 occupied by an upper portion of the firstantenna 30, and the arcuate portion labeled “second antenna” indicatesthe second portion of the circumference of the bezel 28 occupied by anupper portion of the second antenna 32. The embodiment shown in FIG. 10aincludes only the first antenna 30 utilizing a slot antennaconfiguration and thus the only connection points for the first antenna30 are the signal feed (F) and two ground (G) connection points.

Unlike antennas that utilize an inverted-F configuration with one signalfeed (F) and one ground (G) connection points, the first antenna 30utilizing a slot antenna configuration has one signal feed (F) and twoground (G) connection points. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10a , afirst portion of a circumference of bezel 28, extending between twoground (G) connection points, at least partially forms first antenna 30.In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 10b-10g , the first antenna 30 and thesecond antenna 32 are included, and, as mentioned above, the first andsecond portions of the bezel circumference may overlap, may abut, or maybe separate from one another.

In some embodiments, first antenna 30 and second antenna 32 maypartially overlap. As shown in FIG. 10b , a first portion of acircumference of bezel 28, extending between two ground (G) connectionpoints, at least partially forms first antenna 30 and a second portionof a circumference of bezel 28, extending between one of the two ground(G) connection points associated with first antenna 30 and a signal feed(F) connection point associated with first antenna 30, at leastpartially forms second antenna 32. As shown in FIG. 10c , a firstportion of a circumference of bezel 28, extending between two ground (G)connection points, at least partially forms first antenna 30 and asecond portion of a circumference of bezel 28, extending between a thirdground (G) connection point and a signal feed (F) connection pointassociated with first antenna 30, at least partially forms secondantenna 32. A portion of a circumference of bezel 28 is associated withfirst antenna 30 and second antenna 32 (the antenna partially overlap)in FIGS. 10b -10 c.

In some embodiments, first antenna 30 and second antenna 32 may abut oneanother and share an electrical connection point. For example, as shownin FIGS. 10d and 10f , a first portion of a circumference of bezel 28,extending between two ground (G) connection points, at least partiallyforms first antenna 30 and a second portion of a circumference of bezel28, extending between one of the two ground (G) connection pointsassociated with first antenna 30 and a third ground (G) connectionpoint, at least partially forms second antenna 32. As shown in FIG. 10d, the signal feed (F) connection point associated with first antenna 30is closer to one of the two electrical grounding points associated withthe first antenna 30, whereas the signal feed (F) connection point ofthe second antenna 32 is located an equal distance from two electricalgrounding points associated with second antenna 32. However, it is to beunderstood that the signal feed (F) connection point of the secondantenna 32 may be positioned closed to one of the electrical groundingpoints associated with the second antenna 32 such that it is configuredto transmit and/or receive signals at one-half of a frequency of asecond electrical signal.

In some embodiments, first antenna 30 and second antenna 32 may beseparate from one another. For example, as shown in FIG. 10e , a firstportion of a circumference of bezel 28, extending between a first pairof ground (G) connection points, at least partially forms first antenna30 and a second portion of a circumference of bezel 28, extendingbetween a second pair of ground (G) connection points, at leastpartially forms second antenna 32.

In some embodiments, one of first antenna 30 or second antenna 32 maywholly overlap with the other antenna. For example, as shown in FIG. 10g, a first portion of a circumference of bezel 28, extending between asignal feed (F) connection point and a first ground (G) connectionpoint, at least partially forms first antenna 30 and a second portion ofa circumference of bezel 28, extending between the signal feed (F)connection point associated with first antenna 30 and a third ground (G)connection point, at least partially forms second antenna 32.

The first and second antennas 30, 32 have been presented as eachreceiving a particular type of signal and being embodied by a particulartype of antenna. In fact, in keeping with the spirit of the currenttechnology, either antenna 30, 32 may be configured to receive any typeof signal and/or be embodied by any type of antenna. For example, thefirst antenna 30 may be configured to receive a Bluetooth™ signal. Thesecond antenna 32 may be configured to receive a GPS signal, and soforth.

Although the technology has been described with reference to theembodiments illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it is notedthat equivalents may be employed and substitutions made herein withoutdeparting from the scope of the technology as recited in the claims.

Having thus described various embodiments of the technology, what isclaimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includesthe following:
 1. A wrist-worn electronic device comprising: a housingincluding a lower surface, an opposing upper surface, a side wall formedof electrically nonconductive material, and an internal cavity; aprinted circuit board positioned in the internal cavity and including aplurality of electrical ground terminals and a first electronic signalterminal; a location determining element positioned on the printedcircuit board and configured to receive a first electronic signal anddetermine a current geolocation of the electronic device using the firstelectronic signal; a bezel formed of electrically conductive materialand positioned above the nonconductive side wall, having electricalconnections to two of the electrical ground terminals and having anelectrical connection to the first electronic signal terminal, such thata nonconductive slot is formed between a first portion of acircumference of the bezel between the electrical connections to the twoelectrical ground terminals, a perimeter of the printed circuit boardcorresponding to the first portion of a circumference of the bezel, andthe electrical connections to the two electrical ground terminals; and afirst antenna formed at least partially by the first portion of acircumference of the bezel, the first antenna configured to wirelesslyreceive the first electronic signal and communicate the first electronicsignal to the location determining element; wherein the nonconductiveslot corresponds to a portion of the nonconductive side wall.
 2. Thewrist-worn electronic device of claim 1, wherein the length of the firstportion of the circumference of the bezel associated with the firstantenna is one-half of a wavelength of the first electronic signal. 3.The wrist-worn electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: asecond antenna formed by a second portion of the circumference of thebezel between two of the electrical ground terminals associated with thesecond antenna, and a communication element positioned on the printedcircuit board and configured to transmit to or receive from the secondantenna a second electronic signal to communicate with anotherelectronic device or a communication network; wherein the printedcircuit board includes a second electronic signal terminal electricallyconnecting the second antenna and the communication element.
 4. Thewrist-worn electronic device of claim 3, wherein the length of thesecond portion of the circumference of the bezel associated with thesecond antenna is one-half of a wavelength of the second electronicsignal.
 5. The wrist-worn electronic device of claim 3, wherein one ofthe two electrical ground terminals associated with the first antenna iselectrically connected to the second antenna such that the electricalground terminal is also associated with the second antenna.
 6. Thewrist-worn electronic device of claim 1, further comprising twoelectrically conductive tabs extending from an inner circumference ofthe bezel and two electrically conductive spring contacts positioned inthe internal cavity, wherein the electrical connections between thebezel and the two electrical ground terminals associated with the firstantenna is formed by the two electrically conductive spring contactseach being electrically connected to one tab and one of the plurality ofelectrical ground terminals.
 7. The wrist-worn electronic device ofclaim 1, wherein the first antenna is further formed by thenonconductive slot.
 8. The wrist-worn electronic device of claim 1,wherein the first electronic signal terminal is located at a positionalong the printed circuit board corresponding to the first portion of acircumference of the bezel between the two electrical ground terminalsassociated with the first antenna.
 9. The wrist-worn electronic deviceof claim 1, wherein the nonconductive slot associated with the firstantenna is further formed by a portion of the nonconductive side wall,and wherein the printed circuit board is a ground plane for the firstantenna.
 10. The wrist-worn electronic device of claim 3, wherein thefirst antenna formed by the first portion of a circumference of thebezel partially overlaps with the second antenna formed by the secondportion of the circumference of the bezel.
 11. A wrist-worn electronicdevice comprising: a housing including a lower surface configured tocontact a wearer's wrist, a side wall formed of electricallynonconductive material, an opposing upper surface, and an internalcavity; a printed circuit board positioned in the internal cavity andincluding a plurality of electrical ground terminals and a firstelectronic signal terminal; a location determining element positioned onthe printed circuit board and configured to receive a first electronicsignal and determine a current geolocation of the electronic deviceusing the first electronic signal; a bezel formed of electricallyconductive material and positioned above the nonconductive sidewall,having electrical connections to two of the electrical ground terminalsand having an electrical connection to the first electronic signalterminals, such that a nonconductive slot is formed by a first portionof the nonconductive sidewall-between the electrically conductive bezelbetween the electrical connections to the two electrical groundterminals, a perimeter of the printed circuit board corresponding to thefirst portion of a circumference of the bezel, and the electricalconnections to the two electrical ground terminals; and a first antennaformed at least partially by the first portion of a circumference of thebezel, the first antenna configured to wirelessly receive the firstelectronic signal and communicate the first electronic signal to thelocation determining element, the length of the first portion of thecircumference of the bezel associated with the first antenna beingone-half of a wavelength of the first electronic signal; wherein theprinted circuit board is a ground plane for the first antenna; whereinthe nonconductive slot corresponds to a portion of the nonconductiveside wall.
 12. The wrist-worn electronic device of claim 11, furthercomprising two electrically conductive tabs extending from an innercircumference of the bezel and two electrically conductive springcontacts positioned in the internal cavity, wherein the electricalconnections between the bezel and the two electrical ground terminalsassociated with the first antenna is formed by the two electricallyconductive spring contacts each being electrically connected to one taband one of the plurality of electrical ground terminals.
 13. Thewrist-worn electronic device of claim 11, wherein the sidewall has awidth, and wherein the bezel is annular and has a width greater than thewidth of the sidewall.
 14. The wrist-worn electronic device of claim 11,wherein the housing is circular, wherein the bezel is annular, andwherein the first antenna is further formed by the nonconductive slot.15. The wrist-worn electronic device of claim 11, wherein the firstelectronic signal terminal is located at a position along the printedcircuit board corresponding to the first portion of a circumference ofthe bezel between the two electrical ground terminals associated withthe first antenna.
 16. The wrist-worn electronic device of claim 15,wherein the position of the first electronic signal terminal along thefirst portion of a circumference of the bezel is closer to one of thetwo electrical ground terminals associated with the first antenna. 17.The wrist-worn electronic device of claim 12, further comprising: asecond antenna formed by a second portion of the circumference of thebezel between two of the electrical ground terminals, two of theelectrical ground terminals, and the second electronic signal terminal,and a communication element positioned on the printed circuit board andconfigured to receive and process a second electronic signal to providecommunication with another electronic device or a communication network,wherein the second antenna is configured to wirelessly receive a secondelectronic signal and communicate the second electronic signal to thecommunication element.
 18. The wrist-worn electronic device of claim 17,wherein one of the two electrical ground terminals associated with thefirst antenna is electrically connected to the second antenna such thatthe electrical ground terminal is also associated with the secondantenna.
 19. The wrist-worn electronic device of claim 17, wherein thefirst antenna formed by the first portion of a circumference of thebezel partially overlaps with the second antenna formed by the secondportion of the circumference of the bezel.
 20. A wrist-worn electronicdevice comprising: a housing including a lower surface configured tocontact a wearer's wrist, a side wall formed of electricallynonconductive material, an opposing upper surface, and an internalcavity; a printed circuit board positioned in the internal cavity andincluding a plurality of electrical ground terminals and an electronicsignal terminal; a location determining element positioned on theprinted circuit board and configured to receive a first electronicsignal and determine a current geolocation of the electronic deviceusing the first electronic signal; a bezel formed of electricallyconductive material and positioned above the nonconductive sidewall,having electrical connections to two of the electrical ground terminalsand having an electrical connection to the electronic signal terminals,such that a nonconductive slot is formed by a first portion of thenonconductive sidewall between a first portion of a circumference of theelectrically conductive bezel between the electrical connections to thetwo electrical ground terminals, a perimeter of the printed circuitboard corresponding to the first portion of the a circumference of thebezel, and the electrical connections to the two of the electricalground terminals; and a first antenna formed at least partially by thefirst portion of a circumference of the bezel, the first antennaconfigured to wirelessly receive the first electronic signal andcommunicate the first electronic signal to the location determiningelement, the length of the first portion of the circumference of thebezel associated with the first antenna being one-half of a wavelengthof the first electronic signal; wherein the nonconductive slotcorresponds to a portion of the nonconductive side wall; wherein theprinted circuit board is a ground plane for the first antenna; andwherein the electrical connection between the bezel and the electronicsignal terminal is located at a position along the first portion of acircumference of the bezel between the electrical connections betweenthe bezel and the two electrical ground terminals associated with thefirst antenna.
 21. The wrist-worn electronic device of claim 6, furthercomprising a third electrically conductive tab extending from an innercircumference of the bezel and a third electrically conductive springcontact positioned in the internal cavity, wherein the electricalconnection between the bezel and first electronic signal terminal isformed by the third electrically conductive spring contact beingelectrically connected to the third tab and the first electronic signalterminal.
 22. The wrist-worn electronic device of claim 12, furthercomprising a third electrically conductive tab extending from an innercircumference of the bezel and a third electrically conductive springcontact positioned in the internal cavity, wherein the electricalconnection between the bezel and first electronic signal terminal isformed by the third electrically conductive spring contact beingelectrically connected to the third tab and the first electronic signalterminal.
 23. The wrist-worn electronic device of claim 20, furthercomprising: a second antenna formed by a second portion of thecircumference of the bezel between two of the electrical groundterminals associated with the second antenna, and a communicationelement positioned on the printed circuit board and configured totransmit to or receive from the second antenna a second electronicsignal to communicate with another electronic device or a communicationnetwork; wherein the printed circuit board includes a second electronicsignal terminal electrically connecting the second antenna and thecommunication element.
 24. The wrist-worn electronic device of claim 23,wherein the second antenna is formed by a second nonconductive slotformed by the second portion of the circumference of the bezel, aperimeter of the printed circuit board corresponding to the secondportion of a circumference of the bezel, and the electrical connectionsbetween the bezel and the two electrical ground terminals associatedwith the second antenna.
 25. The wrist-worn electronic device of claim24, wherein the two electrical ground terminals associated with thesecond antenna are different than the two electrical ground terminalsassociated with the first antenna.
 26. The wrist-worn electronic deviceof claim 3, wherein the second antenna is formed by a secondnonconductive slot formed by the second portion of the circumference ofthe bezel, a perimeter of the printed circuit board corresponding to thesecond portion of a circumference of the bezel, and the electricalconnections between the bezel and the two electrical ground terminalsassociated with the second antenna.
 27. The wrist-worn electronic deviceof claim 26, wherein the two electrical ground terminals associated withthe second antenna are different than the two electrical groundterminals associated with the first antenna.
 28. The wrist-wornelectronic device of claim 17, wherein the second antenna is formed by asecond nonconductive slot formed by the second portion of thecircumference of the bezel, a perimeter of the printed circuit boardcorresponding to the second portion of a circumference of the bezel, andthe electrical connections between the bezel and the two electricalground terminals associated with the second antenna.
 29. The wrist-wornelectronic device of claim 28, wherein the two electrical groundterminals associated with the second antenna are different than the twoelectrical ground terminals associated with the first antenna.